Communities that have experienced a major surge in ICE cases are drawing on that experience to prepare for further disruption while continuing to participate in elections, according to organizers and officials who spoke with WIRED. Volunteers in Arizona and Georgia reported strong early-voting activity, while Nevada officials urged reluctant voters to respond to political threats by turning out.
Experience with ICE fuels voter mobilization
Jill Garvey, executive director of States at the Core, a group that fights authoritarianism and political extremism, said communities that have faced some of the worst acts of ICE violence understand the importance of preparation.
“I feel like people in these communities who have actually faced some of the worst acts of ICE violence understand the importance of preparation,” Garvey told WIRED. “They understand how shocking this is and how disruptive this is. I think they want to be as prepared as possible for any scenario.”
Garvey said these communities are already “frankly a little less afraid” because they have confronted the problem before. “They’ve already faced this problem and, as scary as it is, they also know that it’s possible and that escalation can happen very quickly,” she said.
Arizona volunteers report strong early turnout
Living United for Change in Arizona targets working-class Latino voters and encourages them to vote. During a recent week, volunteers knocked on thousands of doors, spokesperson Cesar Fierros told WIRED. He said the group had been told that 1,000 people had voted early or mailed in their ballots.
“This is a really good sign. It’s something we haven’t really seen before,” Fierros said. “People are saying, ‘Yes, there’s a threat out there and it’s looming, but we’re still going to show up anyway.’”
Georgia voters say they will not be deterred
In DeKalb County, Georgia, volunteers with the anti-Trump group Save America heard similar messages from people arriving at early-voting sites earlier this month.
“Wherever Vote Safe team members are present, their voices are heard,” Mary Corcoran, co-founder and executive director of the Save America movement, told WIRED. “From the moment polls opened until polls closed, voters showed up without a break. One after another, people told our team that nothing will prevent them from voting this year. People know what this administration is up to, and they refuse to be afraid of their democracy.”
Nevada officials call for defiance at the polls
In Nevada, Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar, who is running for reelection against election denier Jim Merchant, said elected leaders need to “get serious” about persuading reluctant voters to participate.
At a Latino community event, Aguilar told WIRED, “You have to actually vote to tell these assholes to fuck off. And once they know you’ve had a serious conversation with them and you’re willing to stand up and fight for them, they’re going to be willing to consider voting.”
Suzanne Almeida, the state’s vice president with voting rights group Common Cause, echoed that message. She said it is important to “stay defiant” and tell voters that “the opposition won’t make it so hard for you if you don’t have the power to vote.”
“The threat is real, but the joy is also real, and there is real joy in participating in democracy,” Almeida said.
Source: www.wired.com